The month of March is synonymous with the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball championships - - better known as “March Madness.”
But, for the Upper Elementary School’s sixth grade students, basketball wasn’t the only storyline.
So was reading - - and lots of it! 
During the month of March and into early April, Mrs. Miller’s sixth grade English Language Arts students took part in the “Sixth Grade March Madness Book Tournament,” which coincided with the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball championships.
To kick-off the special tournament, students were given a list of 20 books and asked to choose one to read. For the next four weeks, each student then did a weekly project about their book. The goal - - to convince classmates that their book was the best!
During week one, students created a new book cover for their book. The cover had to display the main theme. They also wrote recommendations detailing what kind of reader would enjoy their book and why.
During week two, students did an “interview” with a character in their book.
During week three, students created a one-page advertisement for their book. The advertisement had to feature a song, two quotes and two images relating to their book.
During week four, students created a two-minute “book trailer,” or movie, about their book and important elements, such as the plot, theme and characters.
At the end of every week, each student presented their project to classmates. A class vote then determined which books, along with the students reading them, would advance to the next round of the “Sixth Grade March Madness Book Tournament” bracket, made at the start of the tournament and displayed in the hallway. Regardless of the outcome, each student still completed and presented all four weekly projects.
“The book tournament is a fun way to excite students about reading and to encourage them to read more, especially at home,” Mrs. Miller said. “It also reinforces important concepts students learn in class, like plot, theme and characterization.”
At the end of four weeks, the 2019 “Sixth Grade March Madness Book Tournament” title was shared by Kiel Strife, Shea Eychner and Mia Simon. They each read Pax by Sara Pennypacker.
Other books read by students were:
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Foul Trouble by John Feinstein
Refugee by Alan Gratz
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
Rump by Liesl Shurtliff
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen
Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds
Mrs. Miller’s class is looking forward to reading even more!